NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Belmont baseball hosts MTSU for a midweek tilt at E.S. Rose Park Tuesday, March 28. First pitch is slated for 4 p.m.
ABOUT THE BRUINS
The Bruins claimed their second OVC series at UT Martin last weekend after pulling out a closely contested finale Sunday afternoon. Belmont boasts an overall mark of 10-12 on the season thus far, going 5-4 in conference play.
Recently BU's offense has been headed by designated hitter Nick Egli (Brentwood, Tenn.), who is currently batting a team-best .388 while driving in 19 runs. Sixteen of the senior's 26 hits this year have come in the form of an extra base knock - nine doubles, two triples and five home runs. Last week the Brentwood, Tenn. product registered a multi-hit game in each of Belmont's four contests. Redshirt-freshman Matt Cogen (Franklin, Tenn.) sits behind Egli with a batting average of .342 and a team-high 27 hits. Cogen also leads the squad with 16 walks, one ahead of sophomore Chas Hadden (Morristown, Tenn.) who has been heating up at the plate. Collectively, the team has registered 177 hits and 108 RBIs nearly halfway through the season.
On the mound, the Bruins have enjoyed consistency from their weekend staff assembled of
Tyler Vaughn (Jonesboro, Tenn.),
Dylan King (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) and
Connor Etheridge (Springfield, Tenn.). The trio has triggered 128 of the squad's 189 strike outs. All three of them rank in the top-seven in the OVC in the statistical category with Vaughn leading the crew, tossing 45 Ks and ranking second in the conference. The Bruins have also seen extensive production from their bullpen with 10 different pitchers taking the hill for Belmont. Sophomore
Kyle Klotz (Fairview, Tenn.) leads the OVC with 15 appearances, tossing 19.1 innings and earning a record of 1-1 on the mound. Senior closer
Dom Veltri (Clarksville, Tenn.) has earned all three of Belmont's saves this season.
KING OF THE HILL
King ranks third in the conference in Ks with 44 in 35.0 innings of work. The right-handed hurler tossed his second 11 strikeout outing of the year at EKU (3.10), tying a career-best. He previously fanned 11 batters against Northwestern (2.25) - both performances led to Belmont victories. The Murfreesboro, Tenn. is the only Bruin that has sat down more than 10 batters via strikeout in multiple games in 2017.
DEALING A DOZEN
Junior right-hander Connor Etheridge wreaked havoc on EKU on the Bruins series finale against the Colonels last week, hurling a career-best 12 strikeouts and only allowing four hits. Etheridge only allowed multiple base runners in the first inning against Eastern Kentucky, striking out at least one batter in every frame. He powered Belmont to its first shutout of the year, blanking EKU 2-0. The Springfield, Illinois product has combined for 39 Ks in 30.2 innings of work, boasting an ERA of 3.52 - ranking eighth in the OVC.
IN THE NICK OF TIME
Senior utility Nick Egli has played a crucial role in sparking the Bruins offense as the designated hitter. The veteran has been dominant in conference play, boasting a .455 batting average while connecting on 15 hits, eighth which have been extra base shots. He's registered 12 RBIs in the squad's nine OVC games, the only Bruin to record more than eight. Egli posted a pair of multi-RBI games in BU's double header against EKU, including driving in the Bruins only two runs in the squads 2-0 shutout in the second contest. He laced back-to-back doubles against Morehead State to bring in three of the squads four runs, before collecting multi-hit outings in all three games against UT Martin.
NO PAYNE NO GAIN
Senior catcher Clay Payne (Powell, Tenn.) is the driving force of Belmont's defense - starting behind the plate in all but four games this season. He's tallied 148 putouts ranking ninth in the conference. The veteran also caught eight runners attempting to steal, the most in the OVC. Payne was recently named to the Johnny Bench Award watch list that honors elite catchers throughout the nation.
SEEING MULTIPLE
After sitting out his first season with Belmont, redshirt-freshman Matt Cogen has posted eight multi-hit games. The Franklin, Tenn. native sits second on the team with a batting average of .342.
WALK IT OUT
Sophomore first baseman Chas Hadden etched his name in the Belmont baseball record book in his rookie season after registering a program-best 61 walks in a single season. The Morristown, Tennessee native finished the year ranking fourth in the nation for base on balls. His combination of walks and a batting average of .370 brought his on-base percentage to .521, the seventh highest OB% in the country. Hadden's picked up right where he left off, earning six free rides to first base in the first seven games of the season. Hadden currently sits second on the team this season with 15 walks.
ZERO TO SIXTY
It takes little time for senior infielder Tyler Walsh (Evansville, Ind.) to turn on the speed as he displayed in both meetings against the Hilltoppers, stealing a base three times - all would go on to result in a run. The speedster boasts a five-for-six record when attempting to steal. Walsh currently sits third in Belmont's NCAA era records with 51 stolen bases, four behind Drew Ferguson (55).
